How to grow azaleas at home? Sharing my growing experience

I have been growing azaleas for over ten years, and now I will write down some of my insights for everyone's reference.

Potting soil preparation: Home potted azaleas include four types: spring azalea, summer azalea, Western azalea and hairy azalea, all requiring acidic soil with a pH of 4.5-5.5 (Western azaleas are slightly more tolerant, but must not exceed 6.5). If alkaline soil is used, they will certainly die. You can use garden soil, rotted sawdust, charcoal dust, decomposed cake fertilizer powder, bone meal, etc., mixed evenly in a ratio of 10:2:3:0.5:0.5 (volume ratio) to make potting soil with a pH of about 5.

Water and fertilizer management: To keep the potting soil acidic, attention should be paid to water and fertilizer management. For watering, it is best to use rainwater or river and lake water; tap water contains chlorine and must be stored for a week before use. Once alkalization of the potting soil is noticed, immediately water with ferrous sulfate or a diluted vinegar solution to adjust the pH. Azaleas consume relatively little fertilizer and are averse to manure water. After flowering, when leaves grow and branches sprout, apply 1% diluted soybean cake water 1-2 times; during bud formation and before overwintering, apply phosphorus and potassium fertilizers, such as bone meal, fishy water, or 0.2%-0.5% potassium dihydrogen phosphate 2-3 times; compound fertilizer can also be applied by poking several holes in the potting soil along the edge of the pot and inserting granular fertilizer. Do not apply nitrogen fertilizer before flowering, otherwise the leaf buds will grow too quickly, the flower buds will wither and shrivel, and no flowers will bloom.

Placement location and humidity: Azaleas like semi-shade and moisture, and maintaining relatively high environmental humidity is an important factor in growing azaleas well. If the environment is dry, the leaves will not spread out, the flowers will have scorched edges, the flower buds will wither, and the leaf color will be pale. You can mist the leaves, sprinkle water, or place them under the shade of taller plants or a shade net. In midsummer, you can turn a pot upside down in a half basin of water and place the azalea on the inverted pot, which can effectively increase the humidity of the micro-environment.

Bud thinning and removal of spent flowers: For small-flowered varieties, if they bloom too much or for too long, nutrient consumption can cause old leaves to fall off and new buds to wither. When the flower buds first appear, you can thin out 2/3 of the buds on the outer branches, while letting the middle small branches bloom freely. After azaleas finish blooming, most spent flowers remain on the branches and will consume the plant's nutrients. Timely remove the spent flowers and withered stalks to help new buds sprout and branches grow vigorously.

Cold protection: The cold resistance of different varieties varies greatly. Western azaleas are the weakest and must be placed indoors in winter at no lower than 10°C; spring azaleas and summer azaleas are stronger, and a room temperature of 3-4°C is sufficient.